“That’s not necessary.” Jace smiled. “I always feel like you all do so much for Aurora and Fitz, and all I’ve done is book my private jet for us when we travel. I want to do this for you because I can.”
“Okay,” Carson agreed. Cole nodded.
“If that’s the case,” Ronan said with a big smile, “what would you think of sponsoring Jell-O wrestling for our next block party?”
“What the hell is Jell-O wrestling?” Cassie asked.
“Just what it sounds like.” Ronan laughed. “There’s a large inflatable pool thing set up inside a boxing ring. The pool is filled with Jell-O—usually, it’s lime green. The women wear skimpybikinis, and the men wear Speedos. You know, like professional wrestlers.”
“I’m going to regret asking, but how do you know about this?” Ten asked.
“YouTube.” Ronan grinned. “You’d be amazed at the videos Everly and I watch at night.”
“Like the time you got her interested in Roller Derby? So much so that she cried when I wouldn’t get her roller skates?” Ten didn’t wait for Ronan to answer. “Or the time you showed her videos of baby goats in pajamas, and she cried for two weeks because we wouldn’t buy her a goat? What the hell would we do with a goat?”
“Milk it?” Ronan suggested. “We could make goat cheese and sell it at the next school fundraiser.”
Carson snorted and started to laugh. Cole joined him. Within seconds, the entire table was cracking up over how exactly one would milk a pajama-wearing baby goat.
Ronan appreciated this moment of levity, even though it came at his expense. He knew that in the morning, some heavy bills were going to come due. Carson and Cole were going to need to have a heart-to-heart with their father, at the very least. There were going to be some hard questions coming his way. Ronan could only hope Corny had the right answers.
8
Tennyson
After the family meeting wrapped up, Ten and Ronan headed home with the kids. Ezra had gone down for the night with ease, but Everly was wide-awake and full of questions. She hadn’t been able to hear what the adults were talking about, but her gift had told her what was going on. Ten’s daughter might only be six years old, but some days, it felt like she was going on forty.
“Why did Corny leave Uncle Carson and Cole?” Everly asked. “Are you and Dad going to leave me and Ezzie one day?”
“Never!” Tennyson swore. His heart felt like it was being squeezed by an icy fist. “Nothing on earth could keep me away from you and your brother.”
Everly looked placated by Ten’s emphatic answer. “So how come Corny left?”
Tennyson’s mind spun with all the possible answers to Everly’s question. None of them were suitable for a first grader. All the parenting books Ten read talked about the terrible twos and breaking habits like thumb-sucking and teaching your child how to soothe themselves. None of those books ever mentioned what to tell kids when one or both of their parents abandoned them.
“Corny is one of those people who only think about themselves rather than their families,” Ronan said as he walked into the kitchen. He grabbed a ginger ale from the fridge and two cups, one for Everly and one for himself. “He had his own dreams to chase that didn’t include being a father.”
Everly was quiet for a few seconds. “Now he’s sick and wants his family to help him. Uncle Carson wants to help him. I don’tunderstand. They should tell him to get lost like he told them, right?”
“It’s not that easy, honey.” Ten hated this conversation. What he hated more was his child knowing that sometimes daddies left their families. “Carson and Cole might be the only people who can save Corny’s life with a donated kidney. They need to get tested to see if they’re a match.”
“They both are,” Everly said. “Uncle Carson isn’t sure he wants to do it. He worries that he might not be able to be there for his kids when he gets older. Uncle Cole wants to do it, but Cassie is angry that he would put himself at risk for that no-good, lousy bum.”
A tinkling laugh sounded from across the table. Bertha Craig materialized. “No-good, lousy bum is the perfect way to describe my ex-husband.”
“Bertha!” Ronan got out of his seat and walked around the table to hug the spirit. “I’ve missed you.”
“I’ve missed you too, handsome.” Bertha turned to Everly, who flew into her arms.
“Mimi!” Everly held on tight, pressing a kiss to Bertha’s cheek.
“Why don’t you head up to bed,” Ronan suggested to his daughter when the hug ended.
“She already knows the worst, Ronan, and time is wasting. I’m not sure how long I can stay.” Bertha slid into her chair and folded her hands in front of her.
Ten switched gears instantly. “Where do you want to start?”
“Corny’s really sick?” Bertha asked. “This isn’t some ruse to trick you all out of money?”
